[Lara]

If you read my post, I said that all Orthodox Jews observe the Sabbath in this manner. Also, some Conservative Jews do to some extent. For me (and other Orthodox Jews), this IS the normal manner in which we go about our lives!

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Name : Lara, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 23, City : Baltimore, State : MD, Country : United States, Occupation : Graduate Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Lara]

Orthodox Jews such as myself (and some Conservative Jews) do not operate electrical devices on the Sabbath, which lasts from just before sundown on Friday through just after sundown on Saturday. So while I do not turn on or off lights, I can put them on a timer to go on or off whenever, as long as the timer is set before the Sabbath begins. Using electricity builds a circuit, and it is similar to a fire, which is also not lit or extinguished on the Sabbath. These are considered types of work. I am currently a second-year graduate student. While at times it has been difficult (since writing is also prohibited), it’s a day when I know that I can’t use my computer or work on a proof. I know this in advance, so I plan accordingly. It really teaches time management!

Since you’re involved in student affairs, you should also know that these activities (and others) are prohibited on Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, the first two days and last two of Sukkot, and the first two and last two days of Passover. This means that during the fall semester, there are seven additional days on which these activities can’t be done (unless some of them happen to coincide with the Sabbath, as happened this year). At such times, if I really can’t get everything done, I speak to professors. I find that if I’m honest with them and speak to them enough in advance, they tend to be quite helpful.

I majored in math and computer science as an undergraduate, meaning I couldn’t work on math problems or on programming 1/7th of the week. I still was able to graduate with honors, so it’s possible!

User Detail :  

Name : Lara, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 23, City : Baltimore, State : MD, Country : United States, Occupation : Graduate Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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